Vigor of Twelve is a play off of the fact that Jesus had twelve disciples. It is a name that helps stress an importance on discipleship. This blog is specifically geared for younger people and mature Christians who don't mind a fresh, bold, and blunt approach to faith. Comments welcome, let's begin the discussion!

Pages

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Luke 23:44-49

Luke 23:44-49

And it was now in the sixth hour. Darkness became over the whole earth until the
ninth hour. The sun failed, and the
curtain of the temple was being split in the middle. After calling out in a great voice, Jesus
said, “Father, into your hands I place my spirit.” And after saying this thing He breathed
out. And after the centurion saw this thing
that happened, he was glorifying God, saying, “Truly this man was
righteous.” And all the crowd who came
together upon this spectacle – after watching with the eyes the things that
became and while striking their breasts, they were turning back. And all the ones known to Him, even the women
who accompanied Him from Galilee, had sat from a distance while seeing these
things.

Thoughts
for Today

First Thought:

As Jesus dies, darkness ensues. The earth becomes black. As Jesus takes on the sin of the world and
dies for the sin, the world darkens. The
darkest hour is surprisingly the brightest indicator of our future. Out of this darkness will come the salvation
of the world and relationship with God.
The centurion gives us the witness.
Truly this was righteous.

Why did God take on this sin of the world? What does this story tell us about
righteousness? Where in your life to you
emulate this understanding of righteousness?

Second Thought:

There has been much said about Jesus words as He died. “Into Your hands I place my spirit.” I don’t believe that I can add anything more
than what has already been said. This is
the epitome of humble righteousness.
This is the essence of faith. Jesus
models true relationship with the Father in this statement. What can any of us do other than put all of
our faith and trust into the hands of the Father? Is our spirit ever in any safer place than
the hands of the one who breathed life into us in the first place?

How readily do you trust in the Father? How does this trust show up in your life?

Third Thought:

The final verses tell us an interesting
story. Remember the Garden of
Gethsemane? The soldiers come and the
disciples fled. Chaos ensued as Jesus’
followers fled for their lives. But they
didn’t run far. They didn’t abandon
their faith. They are still there,
waiting for God to act. They are afraid,
but watching from a distance. They are
faithful, just cautious. I’m not trying
to excuse them. In their arrogance they
promised to die with Jesus if necessary.
Their humanity showed when life became tough. But after their flight reflex waned, their
logic and their heart took over. They came
back.

How do you feel about the humanity of
the followers of Jesus? Where can you
relate to what they are going through?